War of the Witches
by IIonezerozero
Summary: Before Corpse Party, before Shinozaki Sachiko, before Heavenly Host. There were witches. Women who wielded power and knowledge beyond humankind. However, not one witch survives to this day. The only thing remaining is a single book. The Book of Shadows. The combined wisdom of all the witches. This is their story. The beginning of the cadaver festival.
1. Chapter 1

A lone creature dragged itself along a rocky mountain side. Its bottom half resembled the hind legs of a goat. Coarse black hair covered it and black cloven hooves dug into the rock of the cliff. It had a man's stomach, chest, and arms. But its head was that of a goat, a ram. Two black horns curved backwards above pointy ears and yellow eyes with rectangular pupils pointed to either side of its head. A black beard adorned its long chin. It grabbed onto a rock sticking out from the side of the mountain and dragged itself up another meter.

Breathing out through its nose the goat man found an out cropping to rest before it finally reached the top. It squatted down and bleated to itself miserably shaking its head and tail from side to side. Recovering its strength the goat man stood up and peeked over the mountain.

Its eyes widened briefly before the top half of its head disappeared in a red mist. The headless corpse was knocked back off the slight shelf it had been resting on and smashed into the side of the mountain before continuing to tumble and roll down the side of it. The sound of snapping bones and meat sounded with each impact against the mountain. But those sounds were soon drowned out by an explosion. A gout of flame roared from the other side rising in a pillar of red and black into the sky. Another explosion echoed from across the mountain top. For beyond it, there was a war. A war not by man or woman, but by witches.

In the valley beyond thousands of goat men employed as familiars bit and butted humanoid rabbits. They would beat them with their fists, breaking bones and bruising skin. Their horns would crack skulls or tear fur and flesh dragging out their entrails as their victims high pitched squeals were drowned out by their vicious bleating and roaring. Any foe that tripped and fell into the mud was crushed by black hooves with such strength that they cut into their bodies and liquefied any organs in the way. The rabbits would claw and kick breaking limbs and bodies with each blow.

A rabbit delivers a clean kick to the chest of a goat man and it belches out blood and bits of lung. It flies backwards into another goat man knocking it over. That rabbit is then buried under a black mass of fur and claws. A sea of cats hiss in unison as they flay the huge squealing rabbit bit by bit like an army of ants tearing apart an unfortunate caterpillar. This sight repeats itself in the muddy valley under the black cloudy sky. Thousands of familiars tear and beat each other to pieces forming a writhing sea of muddy bodies killing each other.

This ocean of violence is dotted with raised pedestals of grey rock a top which one or a couple women stand. They are witches. Some huddle together fearfully casting gouts of elements such as fire, water, or wind so they can to drive back the monsters that surround them. Like a small flower desperately protecting its petals from a raging storm. Others blast away groups of creatures with more original spells; the summoning of spirits and elementals, physical enhancement and the summoning of weapons, calling familiars to protect them.

Occasionally a group is overwhelmed and the small grey circle of rock clear of bodies is turned black by the hordes of different familiars. The witches disappear in an instant as their screams are drowned out under the numerous animal cries as the monsters devour and defile them.

One young witch stands upon a grey slab of rock sticking out of the mud. Her name is Aveira. Her blonde hair tangles together as it is stained by mud. The simple white cotton shirt was dotted with brown and red stains and her brown dress was torn and dirtied as well. She fires off basic magical cuts as well as maintaining the evil eye. It slows them long enough to slit arteries or veins in the neck or thigh bleeding them out. She had brought a single tabby cat and three wood fairies she had made friends with from her home in the forest.

Her friends now lay in the mud. The tabby cat had been cut in two by the hoof of a goat man and the three wood fairies had been swatted like flies before disappearing into the mud.

Her arm swings across her as she releases another magical cut. It flies towards the neck of a goat man but it twists its head, losing an eye but keeping its life. Tears and snot stream down her face as rage and fear coursed through her.

She had never used her magic offensively. The cutting spell she was using was one she used when pruning the forest or cutting leather. The evil eye was a basic magic that she had mastered while learning the importance of how magic was affected by the user. Yet she fought for her dead friends, for her own survival.

A hand closes around her ankle. She had gotten close to the edge of the stone platform by accident and a goat man had reached up and grabbed her. The hand wrenches and she falls forwards catching herself with her hands but still winded slightly. The arm drags her off the platform and she lands in the mud with a splash. Her behind sinks into it and her head knocks against the stone she had been standing on. Dazed she blinks and shakes her head to clear the pain. Then she sees a goat man standing over her. It raises its foot and stomps. Blood gushes out of her mouth with a pained croak as she heard her spine crack. She looked back down to see the hoof sinking into her stomach as blood oozed out of the horseshoe shaped cut it had made. The goat man leans forward, its head filling her vision. Aveira pants in fear and pain as its rectangular pupils peer awkwardly at her from the sides of its head.

Suddenly its jaws snap open and it buries its blunt teeth into her left breast. Her eyes wrench open so far she thought they would pop out as she screams in pain. The wet tearing sound of flesh ripping off bone echoes through her even as she was deafened by her own cries. A dirty hand covers her bloody mouth and the yellow eyes of the goat man fill her vision.

What remained of her body sank into the mud with her friends another hour later.

Another witch stands observing the battle field with green eyes, alone on a similar grey rock sticking out of the mud. Goat men surround her on all sides, pushing and shoving each other as they clamber up to reach her. She wears her auburn hair in a bun behind her head and a long dark brown Victorian dress with gold embroidery along the edges. She crosses her arms and summons a golden opium pipe in her left hand. Taking a puff she takes the pipe and taps it twice with her index finger. Gold sparks drift down and dance around her before fluttering down in between the goat men.

A flash followed by a staccato of explosions. The familiars surrounding her are vaporized, not even bones remain and the mud has been dried into black glass. The ones further away from the blasts are in varying states of death. Some have had their internal organs ruptured due to barometric trauma. The pressure wave generated by the explosions popping their organs like bubbles letting blood gush out of mouths and popped eyeballs. Others have died due to the rubble blasted out from the witch's attack. Shards of rock and sometimes horn or bone were turned into bullets. The witch takes another drag on her pipe and smiles wickedly.

The surviving goat men around her raise their heads to the sky and roar calling more of their brethren to them. The unguided hordes now converge on a single target as this higher threat takes priority over others. The witch calmly taps her pipe again before waving it in a circle like a wand.

"Tower of Babel."

The ground beneath her shakes and the charging hordes stumble as a miniature earthquake rocks the ground under them.

Then a tower bursts from underneath the witch. The War Maiden, Conflict Linguist. Those are her titles. A black tower with numerous windows sealed with portcullises rises higher into the sky above the mountain tops twisting its way out of the earth like some demonic screw. It is cylindrical but not straight. Random sections stick out to one side or bulge out from the main body like a massive Jenga tower composed of rings. At the very top Conflict Linguist gazes down upon the thousands of bodies below, both witch and familiar. She takes another puff of her pipe and exhales a white mist that quickly dissolves in the wind that sweeps the top of the tower. A sick grin then twists its way across her face and she sweeps the pipe in front of her as if conducting an orchestra.

"BLAST THEM AWAY!"

The grinding sound of a thousand portcullises rising deafens all those below for a moment then the windows of the tower explode. Weapons of every kind pour out from the windows of the tower. Cannon balls, bullets, musket balls, arrows, swords, knives, clubs, darts, rocks, hammers, boomerangs, hot oil and water. If an item was used as a weapon by man it was fired from that tower.

3 arrows pierce the head of a goat man and a cannon ball opens a hole in its stomach. A sword skewers another goat man through the right eye socket, a spear pins its left hand to the ground before a ballista bolt blasts away the remains. A thousand weapons give out a million different forms of death. The language of war carves itself into the flesh of her foes and the fabric of the earth. Weapons litter the ground alongside craters as the tower rains the fires of mankind upon it.

A flash and the tower rumbles as a line has been drilled down the side of it and the windows along that side are buried with their own remains. The Conflict Linguist clicks her tongue and looks up. A woman in a navy blue dress and sun hat sits sideways atop a white horse. Grey hair flows from underneath the brim of her hat as she looks down upon the tower and its owner.

"Bunker Buster…" She curses under her breath then gasps as a hole opens up in her chest. The ground beneath her also has a hole which reaches all the way to the bottom of the tower. The Fortress Feller brushes a lock of grey hair out of her eyes before turning away and her horse runs through the air, back down to the battle below. Cracks open up from the hole in the tower's center and the windows explode as the tower crumbles inwards and downwards.

Along another part of the valley two different witches battle each other. The Queen of Cats and the Golden Rondo, the two witches throw familiars and blades at each other respectively. The queen's purple eyes chase after her enemy as she rides atop of a sea of black cats. Appearing as a little girl dressed in a black gothic Lolita dress with a pink ribbon at the tip of her black cat tail. She sweeps a hand through her long black hair that hangs freely behind her. The Golden Rondo wears a frilly yellow dress with golden hair in elegant curls. A small golden cap lies tilted at an angle on her head. She leaps through the air and winks a golden eye at her foe before swinging her arms forward. Ten golden chakrams buzz through the air like angry hornets. The cats jump to protect their queen and are shredded as the blades go through them. However, before they can land their wounds disappear as they use one of their remaining nine lives. The Queen of Cats smiles up at her enemy. The Golden Rondo clicks her tongue before grinning and twirls rapidly in the air firing off handfuls of chakrams with each spin.

The horde of cats stops and jump on top of each other forming a wall of bodies. The chakrams cut into them but don't pierce it. The Golden Rondo merely smiles and twirls a finger. The chakrams buried inside the wall begin spinning again and saw their way through, bursting through the other side with such force that they become lines of gold instead of disks. They pierce the queen through the forehead, neck, right arm, left chest, three places in the stomach, hip, both thighs, and the tip of her tail.

The wall crumbles and the cats begin to scatter. The victorious witch smiles and leaps towards her downed foe she approaches the corpse and reaches down to take the head as a trophy. Her left arm stretch down towards the queen's chin before a slender hand grabs her wrist. She blinks in surprise before gasping in pain as the right arm she had cut off pierces her heart with a squelch. The face she had reached forward to pick up grins at her as the corpse attaches itself back together. The dispersed cats congregate towards their master again as she yanks her blood stained hand out of the witch's chest. She cradles her dying opponents face in both hands, smearing it with her own blood before leaning forward to kiss her. She then lets go dropping her backwards into the sea of waiting cats. Blood and golden fabric fly into the air as the feeding frenzy tears away at her body.

A witch with brown hair in a red pleated dress with white sides sets the familiars around her on fire with only a glance. A witch with a scythe attacks her from behind. Her short black hair adorned with a black straw hat with a burgundy ribbon. The scythe stabs into the witch in red before her body bursts into a swarm of golden butterflies. The black witch is incinerated before she has time to scream.

A cloud of green locusts dive into the swarm of butterflies. Hundreds are burnt to death but the locusts charge forward biting and scratching as they burn. Soon all the butterflies are shredded apart, their golden broken bodies mixed in with ten times the number of burnt locusts.

A witch summoned mud golems to crush her foes.

Another used arcane swords to cut apart her foes.

Familiars collapsed another group of inexperienced witches. Their exhausted bodies barely had the strength to scream before they were torn apart.

A book wielding witch summoned a massive black tree with nooses hanging from every branch and smiled as her victims hanged themselves. The corpses were carried by the branches into a toothless red mouth at the top that swallowed them whole.

Fortress Feller crumbles another witch's defenses before her chest is pierced by 3 red arrows from behind. These detonate a moment later. Her horse is broken in two from the blast.

Witches kill and are killed; by familiars, other witches, sometimes even by their own spells they lose control over. Their blood and bodies spill into the mud.

The sky suddenly lights up. An angry red light coats the land below it crimson. The black clouds are ripped aside revealing an inky void disturbed by a black sun. Its corona halos it in a dark red light. The witches and familiars cease fighting. Killing blows are stopped and intricate spells fizzle out as all look up in awe at it. Some grinned others gaped at this massive construct, this gift from Mara. It pulses once before red cracks rush across it and it bursts. A torrent of liquid so red it's black falls into the valley. A blast of wind rushes down both sides carrying the deafening roar of the coming flood. The torrent is so huge the air beneath it doesn't have time to get out of its way and sets on fire from the pressure it comes under. The creatures below are incinerated with their flesh boiling off bone before being blasted by the red flood. The entire valley heaves from the impact. Waves, as tall as the mountains on both sides of the valley, thunder down upon them all. They throw weapons, spells, fortresses, and familiars into the air before swallowing them. The mountains buckle, trembling under the thing the witches had summoned upon them. The stench of iron filled the air as crimson fluid carves its way down the valley.

...

...

...

The valley is strewn with bodies. Many have sunk deeply into the mud showing only a limb or a patch of skin to the cloudy sky. Raindrops fall spattering the mud, cutting tiny rivers through it. The black clouds let loose their tears as a storm pours onto the empty battle field.

The mud moves. Like some obscene amniotic sack in a fetid womb. It bulges before tearing apart revealing a blonde woman covered in mud. She looks down at her muddy arms and body and touches her chest before scraping away at the mud on her stomach to check for blemishes. After seeing unbroken skin she hugs herself and her tears merge with the rain as it strips the mud off of her. She looks around and sees the mud pulsing around her before releasing more witches. The Conflict Linguist stands tall before magically scouring the mud from her body and hair and summons her favorite pipe. Takin a puff she looks down at where the Fortress Feller rises out of the mud and waves.

The Queen of Cats sets about grooming herself with her tongue before being tackled into the mud by the Golden Rondo. She hisses irritably and scratches at her. The Golden Rondo merely laughs and tickles the queen's stomach.

Aveira stands up and looks around at the other witches rising up from the mud. She searches for the four friends she brought with her but only human forms emerge from the mud. Her legs give out and she ends up kneeling in the mud. It is cold but she doesn't cast a spell to warm herself or protect her from the rain. Her body may have reformed but her heart is scarred.

Suddenly she feels a tongue tickling her back followed by a pitiful mewl. She turns around. Toby her grey tabby shakes itself in a vain attempt to dry its wet fur. It then jumps onto her lap and curls into a soggy grey ball. The three wood faeries flutter over to her before taking shelter in her hair. Tears merge with rain again but they are warm and grateful.

"Next time leave them at home. This is a Witch's Sabbath after all."

She looks up to see a witch with long red hair and crimson eyes. Her body is steaming as the rain that hits her vaporizes instantly. The witch puts a hand on Aveira's shoulder and instantly dries her body and hair. Toby purrs, thankful to be dry again and the wood faeries jump out of her hair to begin playing with the rain, catching drops only to watch them pop into white steam.

Aveira can only blink at this new witch who shrugs and smiles at her before walking off to chat with a brown haired witch.

This is the Witch's Sabbath. A blood stained ritual, a war which served not a king, queen, or emperor but the wagers of the war itself. The witches learned and experimented on each other and their familiars within this closed space, an infinitely stretching battlefield that would warp to their choosing.

This is the Golden Age of Witchcraft. These eternal women wielded power and knowledge beyond mankind. The Conflict Linguist, Fortress Feller, Golden Rondo, Queen of Cats, Sweet Combustor, The Cutest Importantest Most Loveable Witch Ever In The Universe (self-acclaimed), Suicide Caller, Goat Herder, Rabbit Breeder, and countless other witches both great and small.

Would be hunted down and killed, by the Witch Hunts.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:** I'm back from America, and I have a cold.

This is sort of a back story to Corpse Party in general. Since the game refers to witches quite a lot I wanted to write about where they came from and how they ended up extinct. You won't see any of the original cast of Corpse Party since this is almost 300 years in the past but one of Ayumi's ancestors is here. Dunno how well this will go but let's see what happens.


	2. Chapter 2

To the new witch of the Cottage in the Woods,

It is with great pleasure that I, the Wavering Ardent, on behalf of the Council of Closed Spaces welcome you to join the Witch's Sabbath.

The Witch's Sabbath is a gathering of all witches great and small. It is the only opportunity for all witches to convene and mingle together. An opportunity to share your research and learnings no matter how small or great they may be.

As a newly awakened witch you may believe yourself to be alone and isolated. However, there are many of your brethren hidden in remote areas like yourself as well as those who prefer to hide in the public realm.

The gathering will be for all witches, from many kingdoms and empires. We understand that due to your young age you may still carry the political views of the land that birthed you. We must ask you to leave them behind along with any human companions you may have, should you choose to join us.

You may bring any familiars or equipment you wish to practice your magic as well as any personal belonging.

The schedule of our congregation will begin with a welcoming dinner with musical entertainment. This will be followed by an introductory speech by one of the Great Witches, The Queen of Cats.

There will be an hour and half for preparations and congregation before the live demonstration event. This will take place in a closed space so time will be manipulated so you have as much time to demonstrate your magic as you wish.

We will then return to the current time frame before preparing the required portals for your return or, should you wish, a new destination of your choosing.

The joining ritual is inside the second envelope you have received. To open it please place a drop of blood infused with your magic upon the seal.

We await your arrival into our midst eagerly.

With great passion,

The Witch of Numerous Passions, The Wavering Ardent

* * *

><p>"Wow..." Aveira exclaimed as she leaned back from the table, against the simple wooden chair in her cottage. She had been picking herbs for a cough medicine one of the local children had requested, when she heard the caw of a raven. Looking up she saw the bird in question diving straight at her. She flinched as it rushed past her. The rustle of feathers and wind blasted her right ear for a moment before catching a cheeky trio of caws as the bird, thoroughly amused at her reaction, flew off.<p>

"Stupid bird! Next time I'll have Toby eat you!" She cried after it waving her fist. Sighing she checked her basket to see if the annoying bird had stolen any of her pickings.

"Hmm? What's this?" She noticed two letters a white envelope with gold leaf on the corners and edges, and a red one with a black resin seal. She reached to touch them before sensing the spark of a spell from them. She had then hurried home to take a better look at them.

The white envelope had in fine cursive script, "For the witch in the Cottage in the Woods" and contained the welcoming letter. The gold leaf contained a minor charm that kept it invisible, but it was unpowered now. The red envelope had the same charm and another in the black resin. She sensed a minor amount of magic from it. Curious, she reached out to touch the spell.

To normal eyes Aveira merely plucked at something slightly above the seal. To her eyes, a whorl of golden threads had been laced into the resin and stretched out like a spider web, wrapping the envelope. She reached out and plucked at one of the threads.

*Fsst… Fwoosh!

The resin sparked before releasing a spurt of flame. Aveira hastily let go of the spell and rushed to the kitchen. Grabbing a bucket of water she hurried back and upturned it on the envelope. The water boiled as it fell on the envelope before turning to steam. The flame continued to shoot out of it sending a small cone of red into the air.

Dropping the bucket she cut her thumb with a cutting spell she used for gardening and the odd time she couldn't find her sewing scissors. A drop of blood built up and fell. Picking it up with another spell she sent it towards the envelope. The magic she infused into the drop trailed out of it in long threads. The golden threads wrapping the envelope unraveled and entwined with her magic. They pulled sucking the droplet towards the resin. The flames parted allowing it safe passage to its destination and it landed with a plop. The golden threads wrapped in themselves, burrowing into the resin. The black material cracked before evaporating into thin air. All that was left was the now open envelope on the half wet table. The water that hadn't landed in the magic fire splashed onto the table and chair soaking them. The welcoming letter and its envelope had been washed off the table and lay under it. Brushing a golden lock out of her face, Aveira sighed and set about cleaning the room. Leaving the white envelope and letter near the window to dry and the chair onto the porch for the sun to deal with, she returned to the red envelope and reached inside.

Inside there was a pure white square of linen and a sheet of paper folded in three. She unfolded it.

* * *

><p>The ritual for joining the Witch's Sabbath<p>

Upon the white linen write your name and the names of any familiars you wish to take.

Infuse the cloth with magic and chant "I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath" for every member you intend to bring with you.

Let go of the linen and the ritual is complete.

* * *

><p>"Hmm, it's a rather simple spell for what it's supposed to do. Can it really take a person from a different kingdom to this Witch's Convention?"<p>

"Meoooow" She felt something rub against her leg.

"Toby, back so soon?" The grey tabby cat purred once before jumping onto the only dry section of the table and stretching its neck. Begging to be petted.

Aveira sighed before indulging it. "Really, you're such a spoiled cat." She complained affectionately as she rubbed her right hand between two pointy ears that twitched happily as her fingers combed its fur.

"Hey! Hey! Watchya readin!" A small fairy with a green hair and tunic popped up on her left shoulder. Its gossamer wings fluttered once for balance before sitting down on her shoulder.

"It's an invitation to a party Blumen." She answered before noticing the letter in her hand was gone.

"What's this, a letter?" Baum fluttered in front of her as she and Blute held a corner of the instructions for the ritual.

"It doesn't have a greeting Baum! How rude!" Blute poked her head from above the corner shaking the pony tail she wore her pink hair in. A yellow tunic adorned her tiny form with a piece of twine wrapped around her waist.

"That's because it's not a letter." Aveira yanked back the sheet of paper from the two wood fairies. Blute and Baum fluttered a bit to regain their balance.

"It's awfully simple for a spell, you sure it's going to work?" Baum frowned suspiciously. Her hair was brown and in two tails that stuck out from either side of her head. A white tunic wrapped around her.

Blumen, Baum, and Blute were only slightly taller than a sparrow and had black eyes. These three were wood faeries, creatures formed from magic and a spirit of the forest. They followed Aveira around everywhere and kept her company.

"I don't know but it's worth a try." Aveira shrugged before blinking in realization. "Oh no! They didn't say when to do the ritual. What happens if I'm too early? What should I do if it's too late?" She held her chin between thumb and forefinger as she mused at the lack of date or time. Toby looked up at its master, annoyed that the petting had stopped and jumped off the table to go sleep on the window sill.

"Calm down Aveira." Baum patted her on the fore head. "There's no point worrying about it. If they didn't write the date or time down for you to meet then it's their fault not yours."

"That's right, that's right. It's not your fault if you go too early or too late it's theirs." Blumen plopped down on her left shoulder and began playing with her green hair.

"But it'd be a shame to miss it, might as well be too early than too late." Blute sat down on her right shoulder and bounced up and down lightly.

"You're right. There's no point fussing about it." Aveira brightened and put her hands on her hips. "I'll start packing right away!" She quickly bent down to reach under the bed for the travel case she kept there and began packing.

Some spare clothes, her comb and brush. Some stationary and writing equipment as well as a few of the medicines she had made. 'This is a chance to show off my magic after all, I don't think it'll impress anyone but it'll be better than nothing.' She thought.

"Blumen, Baum, Blute! Write our names on that cloth there."

"Got it!" The three fairies cried in unison before fluttering to a Baum opened the drawer. Blumen pulled out the stopper and Blute stuck a hand in before rushing out. The other two shut the ink bottle and drawer respectively, Baum accidentally shut Blumen inside and had to rush back to free her.

"Are you ready?" Aveira asked them as Blute finished drawing their names onto the linen.

"Yup, all done!" Blute cried as Baum and Blumen bickered behind her about who was more careless. The one who was shut in or the one who did the shutting.

"Good, now come here Toby." She opened up her arms and grey tabby looked at her, yawned, stretched then lazily jumped off the sill and sauntered its way over to her leg.

"Really, so spoiled." Aveira sighed and picked Toby up. Carrying the cat in one hand and setting the travel case on the table she picked up the piece of linen with their names on it. "Now everyone, hold on to it and chant, 'I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath'. One time for each of us okay?" The three fairies nodded while Toby merely yawned then stuck out a paw, touching the linen.

"I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath." Aveira chanted

"I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath." Blumen chimed.

"I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath." Baum stated.

"I wish to join the Witch's Sabbath!" Blute cried.

"Meoooooow" Toby meowed.

Aveira let go of the linen and it landed on her travel case. She grabbed on to its handle and waited.

"… Nothing's happening." Blute said. Aveira sighed.

"I guess, there really is a time and date I'm supposed to do it. Maybe the welcoming letter…"

The piece of linen burst. It shredded itself into tiny pieces which flew outwards surrounding the 5 of them before each piece grew larger forming a massive white dome around them.

"What's going on?!" Baum cried. Aveira could only marvel at the magic surrounding her. It was warping the space around them. Twisting and stretching it as if it was trying to join it with something else. The cloth dome suddenly imploded wrapping all within it in white.

"Whoa!" "WAH!" "Wheee" Baum, Blumen, and Blute exclaimed.

Aveira's vision was first filled with the white cloth, then she realized that it was still white even when she blinked. Even when she closed her eyes…

* * *

><p>The Cottage in the Woods lay empty. Only small scraps of fine white linen lay in a circle around a half wet wooden table. The chair outside on the porch was wet as well. The window was open and let in comfortable breeze. A bird chirped somewhere. But the house remained silent.<p>

* * *

><p>"… ey! …ke …p"<p>

Wha…t?

"He…! Wa… up!"

Is someone calling me?

"Hey! Wake UP!"

I blink, the world is no longer white. A blond girl about fourteen years of age stands above me with her hands on her hips. She wears a pretty pink dress with a cap of matching color. Black gloves reach up to her elbows and she hold the handles of a blue hand bag in her left hand. Her blue eyes frown down at me.

"You're in the way! Get up!" She stomps a red heeled foot on the ground and I pick myself up.

"Wh-where am I?" I look around and see that I'm in a tall wide hallway. The ceiling is made of a line of concave domes. Marble columns divide the domes from each. The walls are colored blue and red. The bottom half is a deep burgundy while the top half is a oceanic cobalt. A spiral is engraved in each dome that seems to suck you in like the Milky-way at night. A few other women walk down it. Some in fancy dresses others in normal clothing like myself.

"The Witch's Sabbath. Where else do you think you are?" The girl huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. She's a good head shorter than me. Her attitude sets off an annoyed tick in my eyebrow.

"And who are you little girl, did you get separated from your mother?" The girl raises an eyebrow then turns away and sighs.

"Really, a novice who doesn't know her place. How troublesome…" She glares up at me and I take a step back. "As your superior I guess I should take a few seconds of my time to educate you on proper conduct." She turns her right palm upwards. A flash of light and a red candy bursts into existence on her hand. "If you dodge, the collateral damage is your fault." She tossed the candy up and down. "Don't worry, I won't bother offing you so soon. I'm sure you can ask someone else to repair your face while you're here as well." She grinned and then tossed the candy towards me. The red bead twirls in the air as it floats up to my face.

"That's enough." A blue glove fills my vision. The hand grabbed the candy moments before it hit my face. "Sweet Combustor, should you really be using your magic in this hallway? Don't cause any more trouble for the Council. It's hard enough containing you during the live demonstrations." A woman with grey hair in a navy blue dress and matching sun hat walks in between them.

"Fortress Feller, is she one of your wards?" The girl looks up at the woman in blue with a challenging look.

"No, but as a witch of the Council I must do my best to decrease their work load should I not?" The woman smiled daintily and the girl sighed then shrugged.

"Fine, but you better teach her some proper manners in my stead." She walks past me down the hall. Another little girl further down the hall notices her and waves before jumping in the air. The girl in pink balks before suddenly being tackled to the floor by the other girl. "Sweety Pie! I missed you sooooooooo much! So, what sweets did you bring this time?!" The girl who did the tackling sits on top of the pink one who seems to have been knocked unconscious from the impact.

"I apologize young witch. The Sweet Combustor is always slightly irritable when she comes to these gatherings. You can probably guess the reason." The woman in blue whispers in my ear making me jump.

"N-no, it was my fault. I didn't know she was another witch and I… um…"

The woman in blue smiles. "It's alright, impulsiveness is a gift reserved for the young after all." She offers her hand. "I am the Fortress Feller, a witch of the Council of Closed Spaces."

I stick out my hand nervously and notice it's trembling. Suddenly the woman grabs my hand and shakes it. I look up and she smiles at me warmly. "I… I am Aveira von der Wald, it is a pleasure to meet you." I bow my head.

"The pleasure is mine, Aveira. It is joyous to see another join our ranks. I thank you for taking the time to attend our celebration, on behalf of the Council." I look up and she looks down at me smiling. I feel my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Meoooooow" Toby saunters over and rubs itself against my leg.

"What is this? A familiar?" The woman looks down at the grey tabby.

"Y-yes, he's my familiar." I pick him up and look up. She isn't smiling anymore, a sad look is on her face.

"You should have left him at home." She states sadly. A cold feeling fills my chest.

"But the letter said, I could bring any familiars I wanted and…" The woman shakes her head. Her grey hair rippling behind her.

"That's not what I meant. I'm sorry, it was not my place to say." She smiles again. "As compensation would you like me to show you around?" She snaps her fingers and a golem made of marble appears behind her. "I'll have my familiars carry your luggage for you as well."

"Th-thank you." She summoned that golem in an instant. Without any reagent or medium. Even without a ritual. The woman smiles as the marble figures walk forward and picks up my travel case.

"Well then let me introduce you to few of your fellow witches." She walks down the hallway. The girl in pink had been carried off by her assaulter like a sack of potatoes while we were talking.

We exit the elaborate hallway into a great hall. It looks like a scene from one of the fairy tales I had read. Multiple circular tables dotted the hall at which groups of women sat either talking elatedly, chatting nervously, or simply sat together in silence.

"This way, I'll introduce to some of the Greater Witches." She walks towards one of the circular tables where a number of women dressed fancily seem to be talking over a tray of cookies and tea.

"W-wait." I call out still holding Toby in my arms. She turns around and looks back at me with a puzzled expression.

"I-is it really alright for me to join your table." I look at the simple white shirt and brown dress I had worn. These were actually one of the better sets of clothing I had. They were unstained and cleanly pressed. She merely smiles and beckons me.

"Do not worry, only one of them bites." She must have seen the frightened expression on my face because she chuckles lightly, hiding her mouth with a gloved hand. She lowers the hand and stretches out her hand again. "Much like the young are allowed to be impulsive, allow us, the old to observe that vivacity."

I look between the hand and her face before reaching out and taking it. She grasps it lightly and pulls me along.

"Hooo, Bunker Buster, it's rather rare to see you with a novice." A woman with auburn hair in a bun notices us and calls out. She's dressed in a dark dress and holds a golden pipe in her left hand. "Finally taking on an apprentice, eh?" She puts the pipe to her mouth and sucks in.

"I wish you would stop calling me that, Conflict Linguist. You know I dislike its uncouth sound." Fortress Feller sighs. The woman with auburn hair breathes out a white smoke and snorts.

"Really? I like the sound of it. Nice and punchy. Besides you don't actually fell fortresses." She waves her pipe in the air while she talks.

"It is a title given to me by the congregation, I cannot argue whether it accurately describes my magic or not." The woman in blue sits down conjuring another chair as she does. "Ladies, this is Aveira von der Wald. This is the first time she has ever come to our gathering."

"I-it is very nice to meet you all." I try to curtsey the realize toby is still in my arms. I change the motion to an awkward bow. There's a brief moment of silence before an unrefined cackle sounds from in front of me.

"Conflict Linguist, you are being rude." The woman in blue admonishes her table mate as the woman in the dark dress guffaws un-lady like. If there was something that was stereotypically witch like it was this woman's cackle.

"B…but she didn't even realize there was a cat in her arms before trying to greet us! How is that not funny?!" The witch called Conflict Linguist threw her head back in another cackle.

"Her manners are better than yours, War Maiden." Another witch says from across the table. She appears to be a little girl but if she is here that must mean she is a Great Witch as well.

"The Queen of Cats, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." she nods her head towards me. "Your prioritization of the cat's comfort over your own social faux pas is to be commended. Ignore my rude companion. She is like this to all she meets."

"It's the only way to meet someone, Cat Queen" The insulted witch shoots back before taking another drag on her pipe.

"Ladies, you're scaring our new member. I brought her to be educated in our mannerisms." She glares at Conflict Linguist. "Although I guess teaching her by example may not be possible."

Conflict Linguist merely blows out another cloud of white smoke and summons a cookie towards with magic.

"Please Aveira, take a seat." The little girl tells me and I hurry to comply. On my right is the witch in blue, on my right the witch in black, across from me is the little girl.

"It may have been delayed but let me introduce you to my compatriots. The Conflict Linguist and The Queen of Cats." The queen closes her eyes and nods towards me again. The other one simply smiles and waves at me.

"You look famished, take a cookie they're really good." Conflict Linguist gestures towards the plate and two of them float over to me.

"Th-thank you very much." I grab them out of the air and give one to Toby, who nibbles lightly on it in my hand before ignoring it, while I take a bite out of the other. It's sweet, flavored lightly with vanilla. I hear a snort of laughter from my left and quickly look in its direction.

The Conflict Linguist is covering her mouth trying her best not to laugh while the other two witches look at her slightly irritated. She recovers herself and takes in a deep breath. "Sorry, sorry. It's just you had such a happy look on your face. Just from a simple cookie." She giggles a little from the memory.

"Excuse her, she's been like this ever since she's taken to that pipe." The woman on my right sighs. "The only reason we allow it is because, although it may be hard to believe, her behavior is an improvement." My eyes widen, this is her improved behavior?

"Before we had to hold the live demonstrations first or she'd start firing off her magic the moment she came here." The queen puts a hand to her forehead, as if to stave off a headache. "We had to change the schedule of this entire gathering simply for one person. She has mellowed out quite a lot ever since she acquired that pipe."

"We came here to show our research, didn't we? Should start with the main event first." Conflict Linguist seems to have calmed down and states her opinion.

"It is traumatic to throw a new witch into a live demonstration the moment they arrive." The woman in blue sighs as she summons two cups of in front of us. Dark tea appears in hers and she turns to me and asks, "What would you like to drink?"

"Um… I've never really had much experience with tea."

Conflict Linguists eyes light up. "Well then let me introduce you to a special brand of mi-"

"NO!" Both the queen and the Fortress Feller interrupt her while the one on my right erases the liquid that had begun to form at the bottom of my cup.

"Tch, no fun at all, both of you." Conflict Linguist turns away and sips her drink bitterly.

"My selection of drinks is rather unique so I cannot offer you any advice." The queen shrugs. "Fortress Feller, I guess this decision is up to you."

Conflict Linguist shudders for some reason at the mention of the queen's choice of drink and Fortress Feller pales lightly.

"Yes, of course. Here, try this. It is called Jasmine tea I believe. A recent import from the orient." A warm brown liquid begins to fill the cup from the bottom and a bowl of sugar and a tiny pitcher of milk appear.

"Thank you." I blow on it once to cool it then sniff it. A warm flowery fragrance tickles my nose. I drink it and a warm bliss flows down my throat. I sigh and look up to see all three witches smiling at me. I blush.

"It truly is enjoyable to see the emotions of the young." Fortress Feller comments and the queen and Conflict Linguist both nod.

"Um…" If you don't mind me asking." I speak up and all three look at me. "Why do you all call each other with titles instead of names?"

"Because it's cooler." Conflict Linguist answers instantly with a confused look on her face.

"Our titles are given to us by our fellow witches." Fortress Feller explains as if the woman sitting opposite her had said nothing. "They are meant to represent our greatest magic and are a recognition of our research."

The Queen of Cats nods at this. "The title replace our name as they represent who we are better than any other." She takes up her cup and sips it. "Even if they may be slightly incorrect or inaccurate, the title is what other witches recognize you for. We use them for, in the eyes of other witches, that is what we are."

"So, all your titles are given by other witches? Not yourselves?" All the witches nod.

"Even Conflict Linguist follows that tradition, no matter how horrible her other manners are." Fortress Feller explains.

"There's only one witch who has broken that tradition." The queen sighs.

"Only one?" I ask. The queen nods and the other two look uncomfortable. "What is she called?"

"The Cutest Importantest Most Loveable Witch Ever In The Universe." The queen manages to say with a straight face. The other two furrow their brows and Conflict Linguist takes a long intake on her pipe as Fortress Feller quickly sips her tea.

"…I-is that some kind of joke?" The name is too horrible. If there was a worse name than that it would have to cause some sort of inter-dimensional calamity just by saying it before it could be considered to be as bad.

"It is fact, she announced it herself the first time she arrived at the Witch's Sabbath." The Queen of Cats states. "She's never changed it ever and refuses to answer to anything else."

"We called her the Egg of Ego but since she doesn't respond to it, it only serves to prevent having to say her name in conversation." Fortress Feller sighs.

A chime rings and the Queen of Cats stands up. "I will be doing the speech now." Conflict Linguist give her a thumbs up and Fortress Feller smiles and wishes her good luck.

The lights dim and a golden podium rises from the front of the room. The queen walks up to the podium and pauses before it. It's too high. You can barely see the top of her head. I notice a black tail waving behind her. A pink ribbon is attached to it and it bristles slightly before slimming down to its original form. She beckons to her own shadow and a number of black cats jump out. She steps on the back of one and the other cats pile beneath it raising her above the podium. She clears her throat once before looking up to the entire gathering.

"Meow." She meowed. Then she jumped off her pillar of cats which jumped back into her shadow. A round of applause breaks out and I copy the rest a few seconds after them. Everyone turns back to their tables and begins to chat again. Was that it? That was the introductory speech?

Suddenly a pink blur appears in the corner of my eye. Another woman is standing at the podium. She has long black hair and grey eyes. She wears a bizarre dress that looks like multiple robes on top of each other with flowing sleeves. She stands at the podium but no one pays her any attention.

"Thank you everyone for coming! I am so grateful to have you all attend this wondrous Sabbath this day. I assure you that I will try my utmost to fulfill everyone's expectations of me! Your cheering voices will be answered by yours truly. I-" she's cut off mid-sentence. I see the faint outlines of some sort of barrier that's materialized around the podium. I guess that's what muted her. She doesn't seem to realize it though as I can still see her mouth moving inside.

"That's her, the witch from Japan. Egg of Ego." Conflict Linguist sighs and turns back to the table as the queen returns. "Good job."

"Thank you." The queen replies.

"Wait is that it for the introductory speech?" The queen nods. "Um… is this some sort of tradition or something?" I'm still new to being a witch maybe there's some sort of deep meaning here.

Fortress Feller puts a hand on my shoulder. "Do not be worried, it is normal to be confused."

Conflict Linguist bites into a cookie and explains between bites. "It was a trap. The podium is a medium for a space warping barrier. We use it so we don't have to listen to her yammering on about how grateful she is for all of us being here." A space warping barrier? Just because they don't want to listen to her?

"Let's not talk about her for the moment." Fortress Feller says, "according to the schedule after this is the live demonstration."

Conflict Linguist grins. "The main event, finally!" She gets up and the tea cup and pipe vanish in gold sparks. "I'll see you two there then." She waves and walks towards a set of double doors on the side of the ballroom.

"Really, she is impatient. However, I have some preparations to attend to before the demonstration. Can I ask you to assist Aveira for the live demonstration?" The queen rises and a pair of black cats jump up on the table. One grabs the tea cup, the other the saucer and both disappear off the edge.

"I don't mind. In fact as the one who brought her to our table it is my responsibility in the first place." The woman in blue smiles.

The queen nods and disappears into the crowd.

"Fortress Feller… about these live demonstrations. What am I supposed to do?" She looks down at me and smiles.

"There isn't really much to do. Just cast whatever spells that come to mind." She stands up and I stand up with her.

"My piece will carry your luggage to your room." We walked towards the same double doors Conflict Linguist had went through.

"But, um, I don't really have many spells I can cast. I don't even know most of the basic ones and um…" I feel a hand on my head. The woman in blue looks down on me with a smile.

"It'll be alright. It's not what you know but how you use it." She removes the hand that was patting me from my head and walks through the doors.

Numerous grey slabs of stone lie on the ground. Witches walk towards them and step or jump on them before disappearing.

"These stones will take us to the demonstration area." Fortress Feller walked up to one slab and inspected it before putting one foot on it.

"Do not be afraid, Aveira. This will be a good lesson for you as well." She stepped up onto the stone and when both feet were on it she disappeared.

"…Well, are you going to follow her?" Baum poked her head out of my hair where she had been hiding with the other two.

"I guess, I have to." I take a step onto the slab. A tremor. My body shakes once as if something slimy and wet just slithered down my back. I shake my head. It's just nerves, it'll be fine. Fortress Feller said, this was a lesson as well. I lift my other foot off the ground and place both feet on the stone. The world in front of me disappears.

And I'm staring into a massive valley.

"Huh?" I exclaim stupidly. Then Toby leaps out of my arms and onto the stone. His fur bristles and he hisses at something.

"Toby, what is it?" I look up. There's a black goat staring at us. It's head peeks over the corner of the rock I'm standing on. "Sheesh Toby, it's just a goat. Now come ba-"

The goat jumps and lands on the rock, but it doesn't fall onto four limbs. A man's chest and arms split the goat's head and hind quarters.

"Wha-?" It lunges at me.

"HISSSSSSSSSS" Toby latches onto its faces and claws at its eyes. It roars in pain and swats at the cat stumbling backwards and then falls off it.

"TOBY!" I run to the edge of the rock and stop. There are more of those goat men. I see Toby underneath one of the goat men. A hoof is placed in its back. The goat man squeezes and blood shoots out from Toby's sides. A wet snaps and the hoof goes right through Toby's back. They turn and look up at me. And they roar.

"Hiiiii!" I step back away from the edge. Another goat man leaps onto the rock. Blumen, Baum, and Blute dive out of my hair. They go for the eyes like Toby. The goat thing snorts and swats at them. Blute is crushed against its face like a fly and it peels her off before flinging her to the side. Baum is grabbed, crushed then tossed aside. Blumen is swatted away. I hear a wet snap as its hand impacts her small body and she falls out of the air.

"No…No… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The goat man slowly walks towards me. Its hooves click against the rock.

"No! Stay away!" I walk backwards, away from it. I hear a bleating sound. The rock I'm on is surrounded entirely by goat men. The one on the rock exhales a cloud of steam and reaches for me. I hear the sound of something snapping. Something inside me breaks.

"You… YOU!" I channel magic through my eyes. The goat man freezes, it chokes as even its internal organs are paralyzed by my gaze. It struggles forwards and I see another goat man climb onto the rock. This won't kill it quickly enough. I focus magic into my index finger and swipe it across me, aiming at its neck.

A spurt and the goat man's neck bursts open. Its spasming body falls onto its knees before sliding off the rock coating it red. The second goat man pauses and snorts before looking at me.

I don't wait for it to move, another evil eye followed by another cut. I aim at the inner thigh where a large vein is located. A burst of red flows out and it collapses to the side.

Another one climbs up. But that's fine. I feel a cold fire inside me. I want to kill, to kill every last one of them. To make them pay. Make them pay for their sins.

Another evil eye, another slit blood vessel, another kill.

* * *

><p>Aveira von der Wald:<p>

Kill count = 43

Cause of death = Massive blood loss due to removal of multiple external organs

Spells cast = Evil eye, A variation of the cutting spell, 1 cat familiar (no enhancements), 3 elemental familiars

Past title = N/A

Current title = N/A

Title consideration = N/A

Wars participated in = 1


	3. Chapter 3

A white light surrounded me, I blinked away the glare and my vision came back into focus. I'm back inside the hallway I first arrived in. My clothes are intact and as clean as they were before I stepped onto that stone. Something wells up from inside me and I retch. Thankfully only the miserable sound of my convulsing insides comes out of my mouth. I'm not the only one doing this. A couple other witches are in varying states of discomfort. One cries into the shoulder of another who pats her head and rubs her back, trying to calm her down.

"You're doing rather well for your first war." I whip around and see Conflict Linguist standing behind me. She lightly clamps the pipe between her teeth and inhales before breathing out a cloud of white mist into my face.

"Hack! Cough! What are you doing?!" I take a step back and clench my fists. I feel magic feeding into my eyes and right index finger. She merely cackles in my face and takes another drag on her pipe.

"Good, the look you've got. It's a good one." She smiles. "Would you like to be my apprentice, young one?" What is she talking about? I feel the same cold fire bubble up in my chest. "I like your instincts. It was ingenious using low level spells like that." She breathes out another plume of mist and looks me straight in the eye. "You even managed to get almost 50 familiars all by yourself. Not even a third of what I got on my first war, but still much better than the average witches score." She extends a hand towards me. "I am curious to see how you will develop, allow me to accelerate it."

I look at her hand but don't take it. I stare back up at her. "Thank you very much for your kind offer." My voice trembles but I manage to keep eye contact. "I doubt I could learn anything useful from an insane sadist like you." She blinks in surprise and puts the pipe in between her lips. A confused expression crosses her face. "All that violence! All that... that..." The feeling of the hands of the goat man flashes through my head and my body trembles. "What's the meaning of it all?! It's all stupid, and mean, and..."

*DZZZZT

I feel a sudden pressure on me, like the air has turned into lead. My knees buckle and I gasp as the air in my lungs is squeezed out.

"Stupid?" I strain my neck to look up at Conflict Linguist. A massive frown is carved into her face and the pipe in her left hand glows an angry red. "You call that stupid?" The pressure increases again and my body is squished against the floor. I can hear my bones groaning from the force.

"Control yourself War Maiden." The pressure is released and I spring up gasping and coughing for air. I catch a blue gloved hand from the corner of my eye and look up to my right. Fortress Feller stands next to me and looks at the other witch. Conflict Linguist still has an angry look on her face.

"Tch, listen up little witch. One thing you shouldn't do." I look back at the irate witch. Her pipe has returned to its original color and she sips at it with a huff. "Don't insult another witch's magic..." She starts walking down the hallway. "unless you want a fight." She sneers at the last part and then continues down the hallway. A few other woman break off from the crowd and hurry after her. The woman in blue kneels down to me and pulls out a black handkerchief with white lace on the edges.

"Here, clean your face with this." She says gently. I realize that there are tears streaming down my face and my nose is running. I turn away from the handkerchief and pull out my own from a pocket in my skirt.

*PAAAAARP

I blow my nose noisily and then wipe my tears on my sleeve.

"I guess you are quite angry with me." Fortress Feller states quietly as she lowers her hand.

"... of course I am..." I state quietly, staring at the floor. The woman in blue remains kneeling next to me. "OF COURSE I AM! WHY! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS!" I whip back to face her and yell. "You could have told me... what was going to happen..." My vision blurs with tears again and I look back down. My chest and head hurt. I thought she was my friend, that's why it hurts. Why couldn't she tell me what would happen? Why does she even allow something like that to happen?

I feel something soft on my face and look back up. The Great Witch in the blue dress dabs at my tears with her handkerchief. "I know, and I'm sorry." She finishes cleaning my tears and then returns the handkerchief to her pocket. "But as I said before this was not only a demonstration, but a lesson."

A lesson, that horrid mess was a lesson? The same cold fire I felt towards Conflict Linguist earlier flares up. "What was I supposed to learn in that... that..." My insides twist and I cover my mouth. My vision sways and I use my other hand to support myself.

"It is a lesson..." I feel a hand rubbing my back and my angry stomach settles down. "that, as a witch, should you ever get caught..." I manage to get my body back under control and look her in the eye. "a far worse fate awaits you." She stands back up and offers me a hand. I look at it for a moment before grudgingly accepting it.

"Not only that but it forces you to adapt as well." She begins to walk down the mostly empty hallway and I follow after her. "You would never have thought to use your magic like that before, would you?"

"Even if that's true!" Even if that's true, there's no need for that violence. I had to watch my friends die and then after that... I take a deep breath to try and calm myself. "What can you learn by just killing those things?" Up till now the way I learned magic was from reading the single book I found and then practicing by myself. If they wanted to teach us to be ingenious there was no reason to do it this way.

"You are right in one way. If learning magic was like any other craft there would be no point for that demonstration." She turns back to me. "But learning magic isn't as easy as reading a book or learning a spell. In fact there are very few spells that function in that way, and only because something else is actually fuelling it."

"What do you mean?" You can't learn it by reading or learning? What does she mean?

"By that she you have no idea how magic works, don't you?" Another voice sounds from behind me. I turn around. A woman dressed in pink stands with her hands on her hips, smiling brightly. It was the witch who had rushed onto the podium stands behind me The Egg of Ego.

"Greetings, I am the witch with the title, 'The Cutest Importantest Most Loveable Witch Ever'! It is my utmost pleasure to make your acquaintance." She curtsies awkwardly holding the hems of the outer gown she is wearing. She stands up again. "These are clothes from my home country, Japan. They're called Kimono in my language. Quite beautiful don't you think?" She twirls once to show off her garments, even though I hadn't asked about them.

"What do you mean I don't know how magic works?!" I can feel something spark inside me. Conflict Linguist and this woman... they're both laughing. Even after going through that hell... What is there to laugh about? Do they enjoy being in that world? Do they enjoy fighting and killing those things? Does everyone in this place enjoy that?

No, I saw others crying or retching when I returned here. I'm not the only one scared or disgusted by that disgusting place. But then why do they come back? Were they all new witches like me, tricked into joining a meaningless battle?

"Ma hou." She says an unfamiliar word. "That is the word for magic in my home tongue. It's a much better word than the one you use here, almost self-explanatory." She giggles at my confused expression and my anger boils over.

"What are you talking about you oriental monkey!" I shout. The witch in front of me stops giggling and looks surprised.

"Aveira..." The witch behind me puts a hand on my shoulder. I shake it off.

"Shut up! Shut up! I learned magic by myself and I've gained nothing from it! Nothing good has come from me learning about it! I don't need you to help me! I know enough already! You're all insane!" The woman in blue takes a step back and looks at me calmly. The pink woman blinks once then smiles.

"Oh how cute! European bitches sure bark a lot, and what fine fur as well." She steps closer and pats me on the head like a dog. "I wonder if she can do any tricks? Here, shake." She sticks out her hand.

"! ! !" I focus magic through my eyes and glare into hers. A look of surprise crosses her face and she stiffens from the effect. I draw magic into my right index finger and draw it across her throat. Her neck splits open and a jet of blood hits me in the eye.

A warm feeling builds in my stomach. She bullied me and she's paying for it. This is just deserts. She deserved this. It was natural. I'm not in the wrong. I'm...

"Eh?" I'm falling. My vision that had been stained red with blood was clear. The Milky Way engraved into the ceiling of the hallway seems to swirl and I land with a light thump. Somehow I roll across the floor even though I can't feel the ground with my body. My head hits something, stopping the rolling, and I see a red pile on the ground. The woman in pink is standing over it and smiles at me. I see a white hand sticking out of the pile. It looks a lot like mine. My eyelids get heavier and heavier and I realize that I haven't been breathing this entire time. The last thing I feel are the warm hands of someone picking up my severed head.

...

...

...

"HAH!" I wake up. I'm on a massive soft bed in a fancy room. It looks like the room of a king in a fairy tale. Gold is laced through the blankets and decorates the bed posts, walls, and furniture.

"You're awake." A soft voice sounds from beside me. I turn and see Fortress Feller sitting on a chair beside the bed. She has a book in a lap and puts a pair of reading glasses onto the bed side table. Her sun hat is on a hat rack on the far wall. She's still wearing her flowing blue dress and gloves. I turn away and burrow under the covers.

"You're not the first one to attack her, you know." She says and I hear the soft thump of the book closing. "Conflict Linguist was in a much worse state after she attacked her. We almost had to end the Sabbath early due to the damage to the Closed Space." She sighs.

"What happened to me?" I mumble from under the covers.

"You just fought the Egg of Ego. Another rite of passage on your way to be a proper witch I guess. You're checking the boxes very quickly, Aveira." She chuckles lightly.

"Do witches have a tradition of not explaining anything as well?" I grumble still under the sheets.

"A little," Fortress Feller says kindly. "but it is your first time with us as well. It is normal to be confused and irate." I peek out of the covers to see her smiling at me. "I promise to explain anything you want me to." I crawl out from underneath the covers and realize I'm dressed in a frilly night gown. I narrow my eyes at her and the woman in blue raises a hand to hide her slight chuckle.

"Well then, where am I?" I ask grumpily.

"You're in my room at the Witch's Sabbath." She answers. "It's only been about an hour since you attacked the Egg of Ego."

"What happened? I thought I..." I slit her neck open and the blood sprayed on my face. I shiver lightly. Not at the feeling of it but at the memory of the warm feeling I got afterwards. I thought I had gotten over it but...

"Your upper body was cut apart to the point it didn't even resemble a human's remains." She calmly stated. "I guess you were going to use a cutting spell on her?" I nod and my hands grip the blankets, scrunching them. "That is the Egg of Ego's magic. No matter what sort of spell or ritual is used against her she somehow reflects it back on the caster." She explains. "No one has been able to figure out how she does it. It's not something as simple as copying their spell and casting it back. It isn't even a form of time or causality control either." She sighs. "No one's been able to figure out her magic. That's why her title among us reflects her personality, not her magic or research." I look into her eyes and see a serious expression on her face. "She never casts the first spell. Like she did to you it often starts with someone getting annoyed or incensed by her attitude or a remark she makes. They then start to cast but when the spell finishes or is in the process of finishing its effect or target are switched to the caster instead of her." She sighs. "Perhaps that is why she acts in the way she does. To goad others into attacking her, so she can strike them back." A brief shiver runs down my back. "That witch is also the one witch to have never died in a live demonstration. You could say that in one way she is the most powerful witch among us, in many ways."

"What do you mean by that?" Fortress Feller smiles lightly and leans back in the chair.

"A witch's power is based off of her magic. Her magic is the product of her research. In other words, if you know a witch's research you know her source of power. It is then possible to counteract their magic. Because nobody understands what her research is no one has figured out a way to counter her magic. That's why she's the most powerful witch among us all."

"Have... Have you ever fought her?" I ask nervously, she closes her eyes and nods.

"Once, just like you I let the blood rush to my head and attacked her with my strongest spell. I was sure I would be the first one to take her down..." She sighs. "I ended up being ripped apart by my own spell and then piercing a hole in the magical barriers that keep the time line of this Closed Space separate from the world. If it wasn't for the Egg of Ego's second ability I would have probably died."

"Her second ability?"

"Yes, the Egg of Ego doesn't just reflect a person's magic back at them. After every fight she somehow reverses the causality of the fight so any damage to her opponent or surrounding is removed." She looks me in the eye. "I didn't fix your body, that's the effect of her magic not mine."

"But... why? Why does she do that?"

"I asked her once and she said, 'It's no fun having one of my fans disappear' and giggled." She closed her eyes. "Really, there are times I think that woman is closer to a god than a witch."

"What do you mean by that? She's just a really powerful witch, right?" She shakes her head.

"That's not what made me say that. Remember when I said I fought her once? When my spell pierced through me it also went right through the barriers of this Closed Space. I guess the intent I placed into the spell was also reflected as well." I tilt my head in confusion and Fortress Feller looks up and puts a hand to her face.

"Oh I'm sorry, I should take a few steps back." She cleared her throat and waved her finger in the air. A white marble board appears next to her and blank ink begins to appear on it, drawing a large black circle with a castle inside. The word 'world' is written outside the circle and the word 'Witch's Sabbath' are written above the castle inside the circle.

"The Witch's Sabbath takes place inside a special barrier that separates the time inside the barrier from the time of the world. This allows us to spend as much time as we want inside it. It also allows us to manipulate causality to some degree. If you cut yourself by accident we could simply remove the event from our timeline and thus remove the wound." A caricature of a woman in a similar dress and long flowing hair like hers appears inside the circle and a black spear pierces through her and then through the circle opening a hole through it. "When my spell hit it also went through the barrier. It allowed the timeline of the world to be joined to the timeline inside our barrier. Control of the events and time within the barrier became impossible." She smiles lightly and leans back in the chair again. "Naturally the wound I had suffered could not be removed using the barrier and I had designed it specifically to be impossible to heal. I thought that was it for me then. But..." She closes her eyes and she holds her left elbow with her right arm. "The Egg of Ego simply removed the event of both the barrier being pierced as well as the event of me being hit by my own spell. She removed an event that had been exposed to the viewpoint of the world. It was as if she had complete control over the timeline of the world itself."

I swallow. I can see why she says she is closer to a god than a witch.

"Because I had observed her second ability I had assumed her magic was some form of causality manipulation. Possibly something that either replaced the target of an event from her to an opponent, or replaced the order of things so cause and effect were reversed." She puts a hand to her forehead and kneads it. "But since my spell was designed to circumvent those two possibilities..." She sighs then smiles apologetically. "I'm sorry this is probably boring to listen to. Do you have any other questions?"

"Um..." There's a lot to take in and I didn't understand most of the latter part where she started talking about causality and cause and effect. "What did she mean, about Ma-hou?"

Fortress Feller closes her eyes and nods. "Yes, as a witch it is probably important to truly understand what it means to use magic." She opens her eyes and locks gazes with me. "Mahou, the Japanese term for magic. The characters used are 'Ma' which is the symbol used for the god Mara, and 'Hou' which is the symbol for law. Together the word itself means the Law of Mara."

"Mara? A god? What do you mean?"

"Mara, a deity or demon in Buddhist theology. It's a religion prevalent in the orient. It's based around the belief that one must attain enlightenment by following the teachings of a man named Siddhartha Gautama." The woman in blue explains.

"Mara was the existence that attempted to stop this man from reaching enlightenment when he was on his journey. Buddhism says that he conquered it and achieved enlightenment but I cannot imagine how one can truly defeat something like that. Its name comes from the word 'mer' in the ancient tongue before proper languages were invented. It means 'to die' and has influenced our language as well. The Latin word mors, which is the word for death. and by extension the words morir or mort are said to be derived from it. Other religions make reference to it. The Slavic tribes refer to it as Marzanna and believe it to be a goddess of death and rebirth of nature, while the Latvians believe her to be Mara, 'Mother of the Earth', and the highest of all of their gods. Regardless whether any of them have it right our magic follows the rules of that existence."

"What is it?" She smiles.

"I don't know for certain, I don't think anybody knows. That is why we research our magic, to find out what and why that thing exists." She smiles. "To find out how magic functions and what its purpose is."

The book had never said anything like that. A god? An actual god? Not just that but one that is related to death and controls magic? I can't believe it. But it explains a few things.

"Is that why the live demonstrations are like that?" I ask and she nods.

"Partially, by causing the event called 'death' we can get closer to it but it's not the only reason. It really does allow us to demonstrate our latest research or practice our less complete rituals." She shrugs. "It's really a mix of reasons we hold them like that, but they're a lot better than they were before."

"Eh? What do you mean?" She looks at me with a serious expression.

"The early Witch's Sabbaths weren't held in Closed Space. Neither did they have magic that was developed as ours. They attempted to get close to Mara through more mundane methods."

She crosses her arms "Blood sacrifices, ritualistic orgies, cannibalism. Numerous stories of savages in foreign lands or of monsters in our midst stem from old attempts to get close to Mara."

A deep frown crosses her face and I see her gloved fingers biting into her arms. "The people at the time probably didn't even know what they were trying to get close to. The Aztecs offered sacrifices to it thinking it was the god of the sun and without them it would disappear."

She shakes her head, and sighs. "We've progressed further along than before and no longer depend on such methods. Anyone who tries..."

Her tone becomes cold and I look away from her gaze. "the Council will deal with, appropriately."

I shiver. The pressure she's releasing presses down on me. I feel like I'm back in that hallway staring up at Conflict Linguist from the floor. I hear the rustle of hair as she shakes her head and the pressure leaves. I take a quick peek back at her and she smiles at me. "I'm sorry, here drink this." She summons a tea cup and saucer. The smell of jasmine tickles my nose. It floats over towards me and I take it. The warm drink eases my tense shoulders. I hadn't even realized they were like that. I relax a little bit and then my stomach gurgles.

"Fufu, I guess you haven't had anything except those cookies earlier." She stands up and her hat jumps off the hook before floating towards her. "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"I-is it alright?" I remember her table mates. Conflict Linguist might still be angry at me. At the time I was panicked and angry at everyone. But now that I know there is a reason to it... I insulted her research. Although it might seem odd to me, I've tread on someone else's treasure. Even though I know what it feels like...

_"__Ha! Are you pretending you're a witch? Then we're the Witch Hunters! Come on, run! That's how this goes right? We chase you and you run away. Then you get caught and we burn you at the stake! Hahahahahaha!"_

"Ugh!" My head hurts. A disgusting memory.

*RIIIIIIIPP

"Huh? Oh!" The blankets I had been holding onto were torn apart. I had unconsciously flowed magic through my fingers. I look up to the owner of the room apologetically to see her blinking in surprise. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I just..." She smiles and waves a hand. The ripped blankets fix themselves. Cotton that had burst out from the torn cloth was sucked back inside and the frayed edges intertwined before knitting themselves back together.

"It's alright, no need to be so nervous. If you're worried about Conflict Linguist she's probably simmered down by now." She beckons to something to the left of the bed and my clothes jump out and land in neatly folded pile. "I'll be waiting for you outside while you change." She opens the door normally and steps outside before gently closing the door behind her.

"*Sigh, I thought I was done with all that already." I sigh and get out of bed. I take off the frilly night gown and put it in a clothing hamper in the corner of the room. My underwear seems to have been untouched and I slip on my shirt before putting on my skirt. My socks are also neatly folded and I wiggle my feet into them. The brown shoes I had on were under the bed and I put them on before checking my hair in the mirror.

My original name isn't Aveira.

It is Mary. My mother and I originally lived together in the cottage I lived in now. We lived off of the forest and some money she had saved up before I was born but eventually we moved out of the cottage. My mother had gotten a job at some important person's mansion as a maid and we moved into the servant's quarters. By then I was old enough for he to leave me and I worked with her. We were both dressed in the black dresses and white aprons of our job. I was often scolded though. I often would look out of the windows at the children playing in the stone walled garden. One of the other maids would always pinch my ear or complain to my mother, when I did this so I stopped. My mother apologized to me one night after work.

"I'm sorry Mary."

"*Sniff Mommy, why can't I play with the other children?" I cried into her chest as she held me on the single bed we shared.

"I'm sorry Mary. I can't let you play with them. But I can give you new friends."

"New friends? Who are they?"

"Books, Mary. Books. I'll teach you to read every night. If you have books, you might be alone. But hopefully, you won't lonely."

She taught me to read every night by candle light after the day's work was done. She would sneak a couple of books out of the house's library and borrow them for a night before waking up early to return them.

I grew to love books that way. They kept me company, better than the other maids or the children who only played outside.

This life continued on for several years until I was 13. By then I had read all the books, in secret, inside the master's library. One day the head maid, a thickly built strict woman, put me on shopping duty. She said something about making my young legs work while they still could before shoving a basket and list into my hands and slamming the kitchen door behind me, at lunch time. The money for the groceries was inside the basket.

I had been in the town before. Many times I had accompanied my mother when she had to go buy something or on the rare time she had a day free. So I knew where all the local bookstores were and which ones had the cheapest books. Using the fruit stealing skills I had polished in the kitchen, stealing fruits and ingredients from under the cook's nose, I managed to save a couple coins. I repeated this a number of times and eventually bought my first book. It was a book of plants. Herbs and roots were listed inside as well as some medicines I could make from them. The bookseller said it was a 'bad book' and looked eager to get rid of it. When I got home, I learned why. The back cover had been stamped with a seal designating it property of the Witch Hunters.

The Witch Hunters, they were men and women who hunted for witches. Every couple of years there would be an announcement of a new witch being found before some poor man, woman, or child was dragged through the streets before being burned at the stake. The possessions of the witch were then taken by the Witch Hunters as commission.

The book I had bought had been owned by someone who had been caught by the witch hunts. The next day I helped one of the work men who was repainting one of the walls. While his back was turned I painted over the seal and hid the book while it dried. I increased my collection of books by three this way. Two of them had to be painted over.

One day in April I visited the same bookstore. By then the old bookseller knew me by my face and that I would often pick up 'bad books'. After searching for something affordable and finding nothing I had just finished sighing when he yelled, "Hey, you mind taking this off me?" I turned around and he brought out a thick belt buckled tome from under the counter. "It's a bad book, really bad. Was thrown in with the bunch of other books I get from people. Was gonna throw it in a ditch somewhere but you want it?" I nodded cautiously and he grinned.

The book was so large it wouldn't fit in the basket I had been hiding its predecessors in so after I had bought it I unbuckled it and took a look inside. Sure enough the same stamp of the witch hunts was on it. But more interestingly it was an actual book about witches. There was no title. In fact it looked like someone's journal rather than a book. Inside it had a description of a variety of spells. I ended up reading it for an hour and even practicing a little of what it had described for fun.

It talked about using a power inside one's self to practice magic. 'The key to achieving the most basic spells is imagination. Imagine the outcome you want and it will happen.' I giggled to myself when I read that. If what I imagined came true I would have never started reading books, I thought to myself. Still to finally possess a book that seemed actually worth the seal of the witch hunts. It was a thrilling experience for me at the time.

I came back later than usual, far past lunch time. The head maid was sure to be waiting for me at the back entrance that led into the kitchen. So I decided to enter through the garden. Every time I had been a little late and wanted to avoid the head maid I went through it and then hid from her for the rest of the day. She'd complain to the cook venting her anger and be mostly back to normal by the next day.

But that day I wasn't just a little late. I was hours late, so when I climbed over the wall of the back garden it wasn't empty. The kids I had seen playing from the window were there. They were only slightly older than me, maybe a couple of years. But I had never met them in person. I mostly worked in the library and sometimes the kitchen. Neither place was frequented by the young master and his peers.

"Hey who are you, what are you doing here?!" one of them yelled. There were seven of them in total I wasn't even sure which one was the young master.

"Um, sorry I'm a maid that works here. If you don't mind I'll be on my way..." I tried to walk past them but one of them stood in my way.

"I've never seen you before, you sure you work here?" I nod and smile.

"Yes, my name is Mary. If you excuse me I need to deliver these groceries." I stepped around him but another got in my way.

"If you're a maid here why are you trying to run away?"

"Well, I'm quite late and the head maid will be angry with me if I don't hurry..."

"What's with that big book you have there anyways? Was that something they asked you to buy too?" They laugh at his bad joke and I can feel my temper rising.

"This book is mine, I bought it myself. So if you excuse me. Oof!" One of the pushed me back as I tried to get away again.

"What sort of tone is that, eh? You're just a maid, what are you doing back chatting like that?" The boys begin to surround me and I back away.

"Like I said, I'm in a hurry so... Ah!" One of them grabs at the book in my hands and yanks it away.

"You're just a maid, you don't own anything." He unbuckles it roughly and takes a look inside.

"What's this a book of spells?" Another one peeks over his shoulder as he rifles through the pages. "Hey, it even has the seal and everything as well!" They look at me and the boy who took my book slams it shut before dropping it on the ground.

"Ha! Are you pretending you're a witch? Then we're the Witch Hunters! Come on, run! That's how this goes right? We chase you and you run away. Then you get caught and we burn you at the stake! Hahahahahaha!" they step closer backing me up to the stone wall that surrounded the garden. I feel an instinctual fear beginning to run through me. I'm running out of space to run to. Both sides are blocked as well as the front.

Something inside me snapped and a cold fire began to burn inside. They took my book, they hurt my friend. They want to hurt me. I already told them I was a maid of this house. I told them the head maid was waiting for me. They didn't listen. They're the ones who are bad. So... So it's alright if I punish them, right? They're the mean ones. They're the bullies.

"Hey, what's with that look?" One of them reaches forward to grab me.

I kick him between the legs. He gasps once before falling over. I blink. Did I do that? I look around and the other boys look shocked before one makes a grimace and raises a fist and punches me. I fall over and receive a kick in the gut. My ears ring and I feel another blow to my face. I cover it with my arms but my exposed stomach receives another foot.

I don't know how long that lasted. I just curled up in a ball and waited for it to end.

"Hey, girl." I peek out from behind my arms. The beating has stopped and I hear the angry breathing of the kids around me. "You want this book so bad?" One of them has the book I dropped open and one of the pages in his hand. "Tell you what. I'll give it back to you." He tugs on the page. "One page at a time."

I want him to stop. There was a magic described inside the book, a simple magic. The Evil Eye, all you had to do was look at someone. If you put your intent in your gaze they would feel that same intent. My vision sparks. I want him to stop, to let go of the book. He stops.

"What's wrong?" One of them notices the boy with my book isn't moving.

"Hey, he isn't breathing!" Another one panics.

"Shit, she really is a witch!" The boy shouts and steps backwards, tripping on his own feet and landing on his rear.

"Run!" They disperse and I pick up my sore body from the ground.

I take the book out of his hands. None of the pages are damaged. I buckle it shut and look at the boy. He really isn't moving. I poke him. He's still warm so he isn't dead.

"Mary!" My mother comes running from across the garden. A look of sheer panic is on her face. She reaches me and the boy and takes a look at him. She whispers something and he gasps for air before collapsing in a heap.

"Mother, I... I..." She turns to me and brushes at my face with her apron.

"Listen to me Mary. We're going to pack our things and leave to the old cottage in the forest, understand. Now come." She pulls me along I leave the basket of groceries behind me carrying the large tome in my right arm while she tugs me along with the other.

We rush to our rooms and she undresses me from the maid uniform into a simple travel skirt and shirt. She then hands me a single case and tells me to pack while she takes out another and begins putting her things in it. I only put in the few clothes I have as well as the books. Some cutlery I had stolen when I was a child for fun and the money I had managed to acquire from my shopping trips. I was about to shut it before my mother stops me and places her savings in my case. I blink and look up at her. "Just in case" she says and winks before closing and locking the case.

We ran out of the mansion without incident, but as we left the front gates I could hear angry voices shouting form inside. "Come on." My mother put a hand on my back and pushed me along. We ran out of the town, everywhere I heard angry shouts and clanging. Somehow we managed to escape safely. We climbed a nearby hill that was in our way to the forest. My mother stood at the top and looked down at the town. Numerous torches could be seen and they were already building a pyre at the center of the town. A deep frown creased my mother's face. She turned to me. "Mary, go to the cottage in the woods. You should be able to find it." She rubbed a hand through my dirty hair.

"Mommy?" I ask, she looks so sad...

"The townsfolk seem to have taken this witch hunt for themselves. The real inquisitors haven't been called yet but eventually they'll come." She looks me straight in the eye and a numbing sensation goes through my body.

"Mommy?"

"If the real witch hunts come they'll eventually find the cottage, but if they think the witch is already dead." She smiles sadly and tousles my hair again. "They won't bother to look." My eyelids feel heavy and I stumble. She catches me and lies me down under the shade of a tree. "I love you Mary, never forget that. Live quietly in the forest" She kisses my forehead and my eyes close. "Good bye, Mary. I love you."

When I awoke the rays of the morning sun shot through the branches of the tree. My back and head hurt from sleeping against hard bark. I looked around groggily. "Mommy?" Nobody answered. I stood up and looked back to the town. Smoke rose up from the middle of the town. I couldn't see any flames. They seemed to have burned out long ago. Only the residual dust of the pyre rose up into the sky.

"Mommy..." I collapsed to my knees, and all I could do was weep. I cried until my throat was dry. All I could do was just call for my mother as my insides twisted. Part of me wanted to go back to the town and make every single person inside pay. The other part whispered my mother's last words to me.

By the time I had started heading towards the forest the sun had long since set.

I shake my head of the recollection. I can't let Fortress Feller wait outside any longer. I step outside and she's waiting by the entrance.

"Are you ready?" She smiles and I smile back.

"Yes!" She starts walking down the halls and I follow her.

* * *

><p><span><strong>AN:** Phew, this was an interesting chapter to do. Now I have practice doing info dumps. This'll help out the other fic quite a bit actually. Both of the fics are in the same universe so the rules in this fic are the same in the other fic.

I have to admit though, my world building has massively shifted from Corps Party descriptions. In Blood Drive, and Book of Shadows the concept of magic isn't really explored or investigated so I decided to make my own. The stuff about Mara is true and I've been building up on this concept for quite a while.

As always read and review.


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